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Detroit 2013 Hits and Misses – Rusty Blackwell

2014 Chevrolet Corvette – Even tracking this car’s unveil on Twitter and Instagram while getting my kids ready for bed at home on Sunday night, I could tell the new Vette was a big hit. After finally seeing the car in person, I liked it a lot more—even though it looks very much like a Ferrari from the front. Hey, $60K for a car that might be mistaken for a Ferrari isn’t bad.

Lincoln MKC Concept – It’s quite obvious that Lincoln needs something to compete against the Lexus RX and friends. Fortunately for Lincoln, this is a good-looking concept that should fill a huge hole in the struggling brand’s lineup. Don’t screw it up.

2013 Jaguar F-Type – I hadn’t seen this car before or even thought about it much. Now I’m having a hard time not thinking about it. It looks awesome and has potential of bumping the Porsche Boxster from its position as my favorite new two-seat convertible.

2013 SRT Viper – Looks pretty damn sweet. I ache to see it parked in my driveway, if only for a few hours.

2014 Mazda 6 – Looks fantastic. I can’t wait to see it in the wild and drive it. Will it rank with my favorite new mid-sizers, the Ford Fusion and the Honda Accord?

MISSES

2014 Chevy Silverado – It took several moments for me to realize that I was standing next to a newly revamped model. I hear I’m not the only one. This doesn’t bode well for GM.

The new Toyota stand – Hidden corners are unlikely to promote a smooth flow of foot traffic.

2014 Maserati Quattroporte – Just doesn’t look as exotic as before from the front. Increased size is visually apparent. I hope (and expect) it looks better on the road.

2014 Infiniti Q50 – The car itself didn’t really strike me either way, but the abandonment of the G name annoys me a great deal. If G really wasn’t working, couldn’t they have given the car an actual word for a name instead of copying Volvo’s approach?

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